


Cleaning up the mess

by aron_kristina



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Community: femslash_land, F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 03:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aron_kristina/pseuds/aron_kristina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby finds Emma in a spot of trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cleaning up the mess

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Writing Roulette challenge at femslash_land. Genre was crime, prompt tender.
> 
> Comments and concrit welcome.

The body on the floor looked peaceful. Since the blow had hit the back of his head it couldn't be seen from this angle, and he hadn't bled a lot either. Later, it would probably sink in what had happened, but right now all Emma could feel was her hands shaking from adrenalin overload. She really hadn't meant to hit him that hard.

Bending down she took his pulse, or tried to, at least, since she couldn't find it. She wasn't even sure she could claim self-defense; he had snuck up on her but she'd known who he was before the blow struck.

The door opened.

"Emma? Mary Margaret said you were..."

Emma didn't stand up. She didn't dare turn around. She wasn't exactly sure what look was on Ruby's face, but she could guess at it. Horror. Disgust. Even if there wasn't a lot of blood there was enough to make a pretty good guess at what had happened.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Emma," Ruby said.

"He's dead," Emma said. "I killed him." The hand on her shoulder tightened.

"No."

"Yes," Emma said, her voice louder. "I killed him. I hit him on the head with a cooking pot."

Ruby crouched down next to her.

"Are you sure he's dead?" she asked.

"I can't find a pulse," Emma said, and turned toward Ruby to put her head on Ruby's shoulder. Ruby stroked her hair tenderly while Emma breathed in the scent of Ruby's perfume, L'Amoureaux, and it calmed her somewhat.

"We need to tell someone," Ruby said when she felt Emma relax a bit.

"Who? I'm the sheriff around here, there's no one else to tell," Emma said, her face against Ruby's neck which gave her words a slightly muffled sound.

"I'm..." Ruby started when the body on the floor gave a groan. She flinched and overbalanced and both she and Emma ended up in a tangled heap on the floor.

Ruby managed to untangle herself and poked the body carefully.

"Sidney?" she said. Sidney groaned louder. Emma breathed out loudly beside her and got to her feet.

"What happened?" Sidney asked.

"You hit your head," Ruby said. "Gave Emma a real fright."

"Oh," Sidney said.

Emma stood with her back to them, her shoulders heaving as she was breathing. Ruby desperately wanted to go to her, but she couldn't, she had to make sure Sidney was ok first.

"Can you sit up?" she asked.

"I think so," Sidney said. He managed, but it seemed to Ruby like it was something of an effort.

"You should go see a doctor. I could call a cab for you," she said.

"Please," Sidney said.

***

After making sure Sidney got away in the cab alright Ruby made Emma sit down on the sofa and set about making hot chocolate with a little extra something in it. There was still a blood stain on the floor, but it could wait until later. Taking care of Emma was much more important than cleaning up. Mary Margaret would understand.

She put the mug in Emma's hands and then sat down next to her, not sure whether Emma wanted to snuggle and cling or if she preferred not to have any body contact at all. Emma had always seemed to be so self reliant, even now when they had begun their whatever it was, but the way she had clung to Ruby before seemed to indicate something else.

"What happened?" she asked after Emma had made no move to drink her chocolate, speak or even move.

"He sneaked up on me, I don't know why," Emma said. "I heard something behind me, and I just reacted. Then I saw it was him, and I hit him."

"So you didn't really mean to," Ruby said, trying to sound soothing.

"I did. I wanted to hurt him. And then I did, and it was..."

Emma's hands began to shake, so Ruby took the mug from her.

"He doesn't remember what happened," Ruby said.

"He can probably figure it out, if he remembers why he was here," Emma said. "Why was he here?"

"I don't know, but probably not for any good reason," Ruby said.

"I thought he was on my side. I really thought..."

"Shh," Ruby said, and scooted closer to Emma. She put her arm around Emma's shoulder and Emma almost fell against her side, clinging to Ruby and almost crawling into her lap. Ruby managed to arrange them so they reclined on the sofa. It was not the most comfortable position she had ever been in, but Emma didn't seem inclined to let go now that she had gripped Ruby, so she stayed where she was.

After a while Emma's breathing evened out, and some gentle poking confirmed that she was sleeping. Ruby managed to get herself free from Emma's grip and got up to clean up the blood. She got the worst of it with water, and then she found some bleach to take care of the rest. Emma was still sleeping when she finished.

Ruby picked up the abandoned cup of what was now cold chocolate, with a thick skin on top of it. She removed the skin with a spoon and downed the chocolate in one go. No sense in wasting good chocolate, or good booze.

She woke Emma up enough to get her to go to bed, and when Mary Margaret came home she let her know some of what had happened before leaving. She had to make sure Sidney didn't remember what had actually happened, after all.


End file.
